The border skirts around the edge of this magnificent hill - but 100 or more years ago the view would have been very different.
 | | Corndon Hill summit |
Corndon looks down over Shropshire's lead-mining heartland, which even today is studded with disused engine houses and mining waste tips. A century ago this view was teeming with chimneys belching smoke from the mines, as well as the odd aerial ropeway or two. Today the view from the summit is a stunning panorama over a patchwork of green fields and rugged hills. Off to one side is the ridge of The Stiperstones with the Long Mynd behind it, while in front of you is Shelve Hill and the stone circle at Mitchells Fold. Corndon's broad, almost flat top offers a stunning all round view, and everywhere there are reminders that man has been marking his mark on this landscape for a very long time indeed.
 | | Disused engine house, White Grit mine |
On the lower slopes dolerite has been mined since the Bronze Age, and several axe heads have been found on the hill - so much so that Corndon is often referred to as a neolithic axe factory. Like the Stiperstones nearby, Corndon has several ancient cairns dotted across its main ridge. More recently it was quarried and used for flagstones and roofs, although the small, three acre quarry was worked out by 1870.
 | | Paraglider with The Stiperstones behind |
And Corndon didn't escape Shropshire's mineral boom. White Grit mine was sunk at its foot, and gives its name to the village nearby. White Grit mined barytes - locally known as spar - a mineral which was ground into a fine powder and used to make white paint. These days Corndon is a protected environment, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is owned by the Powis Castle Estate. Sheep graze much of it and it is criss-crossed by footpaths. Climb it on a fine day and you may find paragliders preparing to launch from the summit, as it's one of several hills in south Shropshire used by the Long Mynd Gliding Club, depending on wind direction.
 | | Corndon Hill |
Or you could have a preview - or save yourself a journey - by seeing our panoramic image taken from the summit of Corndon Hill. The hill can also be seen from our panoramics of Mitchells Fold stone circle and the Devil's Chair on The Stiperstones. Click below to see them. | 
